KARACHI, Pakistan — Dozens of men and women from Pakistan’s minority Christian community protested in Karachi on Tuesday against a court’s death sentence given to a Christian man on blasphemy charges.
Ehsan Shan Masih was sentenced to death by a court in Sahiwal, Punjab province, on Saturday for sharing blasphemous content on social media. The sentence followed mob attacks on Christians last year.
Masih’s lawyers have the option of appealing the sentence to a higher court.
The protest was organised by the Christian community, the Minority Rights March and civil society groups and took place outside the Karachi Press Club.
In August 2023, a Muslim mob attacked a Christian community in eastern Pakistan, destroying several churches and setting fire to numerous homes. The riots in Jaranwala, Faisalabad province, were sparked by accusations that two Christians had desecrated the Quran. Police and community leaders said the attack was sparked by the mosque’s prayer leader bringing allegedly desecrated pages of the Quran to the man, who then issued a statement demanding punishment.
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions and challenges facing Pakistan’s Christian minority, who are often targeted by the country’s strict blasphemy laws. Human rights groups have long criticized these laws, arguing they are often misused to persecute minorities and settle personal scores.
As Ehsan Shan Masih’s case unfolds, it continues to focus attention on the plight of religious minorities in Pakistan and the broader impact of the country’s blasphemy laws.
